Unconquered
by Tenoh
Summary: The tale of Uranus/Haruka and Neptune/Michiru told in detail. Will probably turn out novel-length. Cheer for me so that I might be inspired to write more!


Unconquered Part 1, Chapter 1 

This is going to be the biggest Haruka/ Michiru fanfic that I will ever write. It will mainly revolve around Haruka/Uranus and why she is who she is. The first part will take place in the Silver Millennium, and do remember this is a fanfic so I can do whatever I want. Don't email me and tell me I'm wrong about something. Other than that, enjoy the story. I hope it will become something far grander than anything you've ever read. All poetry and characters belong to their respective owners. I borrow these only for my own personal enjoyment, not to infringe rights and especially not to make money. Dedicated, of course, to my delicate sweet Michiru, whom strangely enough, I've modeled my Haruka from. 

Unconquered Part One: Musings Chapter One 

"I asked myself, What is true about a person? Would I change in the same way the river changes color but still be the same person? And then I saw the curtains blowing wildly, and outside rain was falling harder, causing everyone to scurry and shout. I smiled. And then I realized it was the first time I could see the power of the wind. I couldn't see the wind itself, but I could see it carried the water that filled the rivers and shaped the countryside. It caused men to yelp and dance.

"I wiped my eyes and looked in the mirror. I was surprised at what I saw. I had on a beautiful red dress, but what I saw was even more valuable. I was strong. I was pure. I had genuine thoughts inside that no one could see, that no one could ever take away from me. I was like the wind."

                                                                                                                Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club

*

_Today I leave this satellite of Uranus, where I have lived since I was but an infant, to be proclaimed its crowned princess and protector of the Silver Millennium. Pray to the gods that much is not expected of me. I do not wish to be tied down to such a duty. All I wish to do right now is copy down what has been running through my head these past few days, in anticipation of the upcoming coronation. I do believe I shall find the truth of my feelings when I depart to become sovereign of this Heavenly star._

_The book I cherish most lies hidden on the highest shelf of my library. The story inside is one that has eluded me for as long as I can remember. I don't know of any other people that have heard the story. I don't let the other residents of my castle read it. Not that they even visit the library. That is my domain. _

_But back to this story. I've read it over and over, nearly to memorization. It is supposedly a tale of the creation and destiny of our kingdom, that of the Silver Millennium. I cannot make head or tail of it. The story is short, the book is slim. I shall copy what I remember, for it is easier to look at it upon paper than recall it in my mind. Unconquered is its title. It goes a bit like this:_

_~ Lady Fate sat quietly at her loom, laying out brilliantly colored threads with care. She worked in silence, not wanting her sisters to find her newest work._

_"This shall be my own," she told herself. "I won't let my sisters stop me from my work, and I will create the most magnificent and powerful kingdom of all eternity. No one will stop me."_

_The Lady began weaving a lavish tapestry. Her colors knotted and intertwined, three of each black and white and pink and crimson and azure and maize and emerald and purple and gold and sea green and lavender. Noticing how lovely the gold and sea green threads looked when knotted together, Lady Fate began twisting them more tightly, and leaving gaps where the other threads should have gone._

_"They shall be different," Fate whispered, and smiled because she knew it would be true. Her work grew in size. Three sections, each different and each more beautiful than the last. One thread of each color per section. With the gold and aqua threads she wove the most beautiful and divine of tales, far more detailed than the others. As a whole the piece was magnificent to behold, but she was most proud of what she had created within the knots and stitches of gold and sea green. "Here is to your eternity," she whispered as she brought her gilded shuttle to her wrist, ready to shed the blood that would breathe life into the beautiful cloth._

_A cold hand caressed her cheek._

_"Dear Sister, you aren't having fun without me, are you?" _

_The chilling voice of Lady Death echoed in the silent room. Fate shivered at the touch, even though it was her own sister's. In her mind she scorned the Lady for foiling her chance at making something beautiful, something that would not shrivel and die after a short lifetime. _

_"I did not expect you, Sister." Lady Fate answered, her voice hinting the slightest bit of discomfort. A wicked grin spread slowly across Death's face._

_"Well, we can enjoy each other's company now." Death removed the shuttle from her sister's grip. She laid it upon her own wrist and quickly sliced the fragile skin. Dark blood flowed immediately. Enjoying the look of pain and sadness on Lady Fate's face, she waved the severed wrist over the first section of the tapestry. Droplets landed on the various colors, staining them brown. The threads lost their brilliance and shrunk with the moisture of Death's blood. Lady Death moved to the second section of the tapestry, this time not letting quite so much of her mortality spill upon the cloth. Fate sat, frozen, waiting as her sister took the eternity from the tapestry. As she worked, Death noticed how her sister's gaze remained steadily upon the gold and sea green threads. She laughed and ran a blood-slicked finger over them, darkening their color far more than the others. Fate cringed at her sister's actions, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. _

_Death's derisive grin spread even wider as she finished soiling the second part of the tapestry. She took great pleasure in seeing Fate suffer, as she was the Queen of Pain and Suffering. She stepped to the tapestry's final segment, ready to ruin Fate's work completely._

_"Enough, Lady Death!"_

_The command was voiced firmly. Death dropped her hand to her side and turned to face her congregating sisters. Lady Time stood in the center, visibly the owner of the booming utterance. Her face was set coldly, disapproving of her sister's corrupt behavior._

_"You will stop immediately and return to your chambers. Do not disturb us with your presence any more this night," Time ordered. Death's eyes narrowed. The blood had clotted on her wrist, leaving a brown stain. With heartless delight, she gave her wound a playful lick and waltzed from the room. As she stepped through the doorway she stopped and turned._

_"Now, wherever there is Life there shall be Death." The Lady spat her last words at the sister's and retreated to her chambers._

_With her sister gone, Fate burst into tears, sobbing into Time's shoulder. The sisters tried comforting her, but it was to no avail._

_"She always ruins everything!" wailed the Lady Fate. "Can I not create one life, one flame that may exist without being snuffed out by- by HER?"_

_                Silence filled the room, save for the Lady Fate's lamenting. The sisters were without words, for they did not know what to say. They had seen this happen many times before, but Fate seemed so hurt this time that it made all their hearts ache for her. After several moments, the smallest sister, Hope, spoke up._

_                "Lady Sister Fate," she said in her quiet, shy voice. "There is still the final third of your tapestry. I do not think our Lady Sister Death knew that instead of one thread of each color, you wove your tapestry in three sections with three threads of each color. The final third remains untouched. Does that not spark the smallest happiness inside of you?"_

_                Fate looked up from Time's shoulder, eyes puffed and red. At first she seemed a bit dazed, but then she smiled and wrapped the tiny sister in a warm embrace. _

_                "How right you are- I have not been conquered yet," she whispered. The girls smiled in unison, relieved that their dear sister was content. Then Lady Courage gave her words of comfort._

_                "We shall all help your creation become strong and great. The empire will rise with us behind it, and will be remembered for all eternity."_

_"Eternity they shall have!" Time cried triumphantly. "I myself shall see to it. Two lives, and then eternity." From her pocket she drew a handful of sand and scattered it over the remaining, untouched section of the tapestry. The other sisters offered their gifts- Peace, Strength, Nobility, the twins Fortune and Luck. Lady Luck and her sister made quite a show of their presentation. All the girls laughed, Fate especially and they went about making plans for the new kingdom. Lady Fate sprinkled her life over the tapestry and watched with joy as her kingdom was born. The sisters ~,"_

_                "LADY! LADY URANUS! WHERE ARE YOU, GOOD LADY?"_

                The blond girl looked up from her writing, irritation etched across her fine features. She slammed the slim journal closed and stuffed it into a navy velvet sack along with her pen.

                "Blast!" she muttered as she pushed her short bangs from her eyes and hastily gathered several other items from various places in her great bedchamber. 

                "GOOD LADY URANUS! YOUR PROCESSION AWAITS YOU! YOU MUSTN'T BE LATE FOR YOUR CORONATION! IT IS A GOOD WEEK FROM HERE ON HORSE! LADY URANUS?" Her chaperone and tutor, Lady Thia, called through the palace, clearly agitated at not being able to summon the Lady Uranus.

"That foolish woman is going to suffer a stroke if she doesn't stop yelling like that!" Uranus rushed through the halls with the sack slung over her shoulder and yards of white skirt cast upon her arm. As she neared the great entrance to the palace she ducked behind one of many tapestries and returned with another bulging sack and gleaming saber dangling from her hips. 

"Oh, my Lady, where have you been? I thought for sure you wouldn't appear and then our kingdom would remain without a crowned princess!" Lady Thia cried as Uranus bounded down the stone steps of the palace. With a sweep of her hand, the Lady pushed stray locks of golden hair from Uranus' eyes and began rearranging the girl's skirts. Uranus quickly sidestepped the Lady, hissing, "Must you make such a scene in front of the whole of this planet?" It was quite true. Lords and Ladies from all the moons of Uranus gathered to watch their Lady off on her journey to the Great Palace of the Silver Millennium, where she would be crowned Princess of the planet Uranus. A hushed laugh ran through the crowd. Lady Thia blushed deep red, but quickly regained her composure and went back to scolding the young, soon-to-be princess.

"… And your ceremonial gown is packed, wrapped in three layers of gold silk, in the fourth trunk, the one nearest the back of the second carriage. I will be meeting with the other ladies' chaperones before the Royal Coronation begins so I won't be able to prepare you, but we are bringing Helen and Aetra and Nisippe from the kitchen, so I suppose they will have to do just that... My Lady, are you listening?"

Uranus looked up from stroking her snow-white mare's muzzle. Her expression was that of boredom and impatience, with just a touch of sadness.

"No, Lady Thia, I was not. I was so deep in concentration, petting my mare, that I could not hear your shrill crow of a voice over the screaming hush of this crowd!" She glared at her chaperone viciously and was about to speak again when the strong hand of her Nurse came down upon her shoulder.

"Lady Uranus, I must ask you not to go off and make passionate poetry of your annoyance right now. We've heard enough of that these past few days. And you, Lady Thia, do stop tormenting the child! She understands what is expected of her and needs not for you to worry her with petty details. Uranus, child, mount your horse. You must be off!" Nurse gave Uranus, who was standing with arms crossed and staring furiously at her chaperone, an urging look. The blond girl's face softened. She nodded in acceptance, crossed her eyes as Lady Thia turned her back to chastise the kitchen maids for not wiping the flour off their skirts, raised her hands as if to throttle the Lady, and added a grin for effect. Nurse and much of the crowds chuckled at the young lady's conduct, then cheered as she leapt upon her white mare and reared grandly. Lady Thia looked on in horror, then rushed to seat herself in her carriage farther back in the great procession.

"Do take care, child, for you know that I cannot join you on your journey. It is a long way to the Palace of the Silver Millennium, and there may be thieves along the way. I know you will make me proud and come back the most regal of princesses!" This Nurse whispered so that only Uranus could hear. Uranus leaned down to reply and to receive a departing kiss on the forehead from her Nurse.

"That I shall. But don't expect me to return on the arm of a gentleman expected to make me a queen. Princess is enough of a title for me right now, maybe even more than so. I will accomplish what is expected of me, but nothing more." Her Nurse smiled slyly as Uranus spoke.

"Of course I don't expect anything more! I know very well how you feel about all of this. But I wouldn't be surprised if you brought someone home who will bring a bit of true happiness into your life. You are in great need of it, I must say. Well, off you go then! And, don't forget, your ceremonial dress is packed, wrapped in three layers of gold silk, in the fourth trunk, the one nearest the back of the second carriage, my dear!" Nurse added the last statement with a teasing voice and a twinkle in her eye. She gave an exaggerated wave and blew the Lady Uranus a dramatic kiss. The Lady laughed, then turned and was off.

*

                Uranus headed the procession, being the one for which the crowds parted. All the nobles bowed deeply, men and women alike, as Uranus rode by. She smiled shyly as young men pushed their way up to her, bearing sweet flowers and promises of unending love. The guards following her shooed them off before she could reply otherwise, not that she would have accepted such precious gifts. An unfamiliar sensation quivered in her belly as she noted the many happy couples attending the scene. Men with women, men with men, women with women. Her smile quickly vanished. Envy? Longing? _Of course not_, she told herself.  _Once I'm crowned princess, there won't even be time for such things as love._ Again she sat silently, letting the horse guide her to the shining bridges of gold that aligned the planets for safe travel. As she took the first step onto the bridge, a great cheer rose up from the crowd. Shouts of, "URANUS!" and, "All hail the great Lady Uranus!" were carried though the air, blowing from the planet with a gentle breeze. Uranus took up her banner, midnight blue with a golden crest of her planet. She fit the banner into her saddle, waved a final parting to her people and quickened her horse down the bridge.

                Venders lined the road, crying out to sell their goods. Small shacks and inns were squeezed between booths for the weary traveler from far away. A flower peddler asked the Lady to bend down so she could reach, and when she did the old woman placed a wreath of white roses upon Uranus' golden locks. She smiled at the woman, and pulled several large coins from the folds of her skirt. The woman's eyes widened as Uranus placed them in her hand and then grew smiling as she murmured her thanks. Uranus spurned her horse onward, anxious to reach Saturn, where she would spend the night before continuing onto Jupiter, then Mars, and finally to the Palace of the Silver Millennium. 

                They rode for many hours before stopping for supper. Uranus sighed as she was hurried into a small tavern with Lady Thia, the kitchen maids, and several of the royal guards. She already longed for the mountainous, windy place that was her home. It just didn't seem right being on flat, ordinary ground for so long, as she was used to riding her mare recklessly through the mountains, lying peacefully in the shade of the occasional willow tree that grew by the many waterfalls of Uranus, and letting the wind blow through her hair when she stood atop the highest peak. For a moment Uranus closed her eyes and she could almost taste the sweet breeze, sweet salty breeze…

                "My Lady, we must be off again! Saturn awaits and must be reached before the sun sets or we're sure to be caught by some roaming horde of bandits! I can't imagine what we would do, you being heir to our throne…" Lady Thia waved her hands and clasped them to her breast, making it all the more dramatic. Uranus turned, thoughts interrupted once again, and stormed out of the tavern. She paid the owners a good deal more than was necessary in the inter-planetary gold coin. _Why won't Lady Thia leave me be?_ Uranus thought as she jumped on her horse and turned again towards Saturn before Lady Thia could reprimand her for giving so much money to such "ungrateful, uncultured heathens!" She knew riding in the night was not such a terrible thing. The full moon would be out, bright and shining and waiting to welcome her with open arms.

*

                The sun's last rays of fire were slipping over the horizon as the procession reached the Great Palace of Saturn. They were greeted warmly by the collection of maids and butlers left behind to take care of the traveling nobles. Lady Saturn had left that day, and would be spending the night on Jupiter, one day of travel ahead of Uranus. It was rumored that the Lady Neptune had left several days before, completely ignoring the planet Uranus in her hast to reach the Moon. Uranus was expected to be the last of the Ladies arriving at the Palace of the Silver Millennium. Uranus had never met any of the other noble ladies of the other planets. _I hope they're not all dull, girlish creatures._ It did seem very possible that this would be so. Not once in her life had Uranus met another girl like herself, bold and untamed. _It wouldn't even matter if she were a princess- just a friend for goodness sake.  _

                Saturn's palace was very similar to that of Uranus; elegant towers reaching for the heavens, long, stone corridors, and a high vaulted royal bedchamber. But there was something about the palace, something old and tired that still made it seem very far away from home. Lady Uranus hardly had any time to explore before the ever-irritating Lady Thia forced her into dormancy. But the moment the Great Nuisance bid her good night and closed the great doors to her bedchamber, Uranus threw back the covers and leapt out of bed. She rummaged through her trunk for a moment; until she was down in far enough that the clothes inside were above her elbows. In triumph she pulled the old sack from the trunk and removed her journal. Uranus walked slowly to the window seat, reviewing her work from earlier that day. Skimming over the copied story, her heart sank as she felt no desire to continue the tale. _I know it by heart; it doesn't matter whether I have it written down more than once. In fact, I don't even remember what prompted me to copy it. It was something about this journey, I think…_ The words seemed to have lost their flavor, no longer a fanciful tale told with sugary sweet words, but simply black ink on the page. _It always happens. Why can't those words stay fresh and lively for more than half a day? I had but started my entry and I don't think I can continue._ Uranus picked up her pen and set it on the page. For many moments she sat, thinking. Her pen scrawled aimlessly across the page. She set it back at its starting point, only then realizing she could not and would not write any more that evening.

My head doth ache,

My hand doth shake,

I have a naughty pen;

My ink is bad,

My pen is worse,

How can I write well then?

The blond maiden sighed forlornly and tossed the journal back into the depths of her trunk. All the beautiful words from the morning had become stale and bitter in her mind. She returned to her bed, if only to watch the splendid white moon through the window until the sun rose.

*

                A tender sliver of sunlight fell upon ivory skin. Uranus stirred, half waking from her deep slumber. She had remained awake until early that morning, falling asleep only when she could not wait for the sun any longer. But the sun had risen and called to her, caressing her tired figure, teasing her with its gentle warmth. She lay in her bed, unmoving, letting the light wash over her. A new day. The blond opened her eyes a tiny bit, closed them again and stretched the entire length of her body. Feeling somewhat alive and a bit anxious, with the promise of fresh poetry in her head, the young maiden sprang from her bed and hurried to dress. She slipped from the smooth, sleeveless blue nightgown, tossing it into one of the various piles of clothes strewn about. _I will not be forced to wear dresses the entire trip_, she told herself as she removed her sack from the trunk and pulled out a pair of breeches. Folded into the breeches was a simple peasant's tunic, which, when spotted by the cobalt eyes, brought a sigh of great happiness from the lady. Uranus hastily pulled on the breeches and shook out the tunic, seeking something other than the shirt itself. A neatly wrapped band of flesh-tone linen fell to the floor. The blonde bent to examine it with a look of disgust; the same look she always used when she wore this particular article of clothing. _Of course, I'd be discovered in a minute without this._ She sighed again and removed her sleeping camisole. Perched atop the immense piece of luggage, Uranus began wrapping the cloth around her torso, starting at the ribcage and working her way up. It was a job she found herself doing quite often to escape the tortures of court life, since being a full bosomed teenage girl meant having to bind her breast to look the part of a kitchen boy.

                Several times she swore under her breath and started her wrapping again, muttering about it being too tight or too loose or too bunched upon her breast. When she was not silently cursing herself, she whistled a tune heard at the welcoming ceremony the night before. The people of Saturn were kind enough, if not a bit dreary and simple. It didn't matter much to Uranus- they'd offered her a warm bed and for that she was quite grateful. Not much was needed to please the Lady Uranus. She had grown up royally annoyed at being the destined ruler of her planet, taking pleasure in care-free peasant life as often as possible. Then again, being a peasant meant being a boy for the Lady, since shorthaired, golden-blonde females were quite rare, even on the planet Uranus.

                Once again, Uranus fumbled and her work slipped from her grasp, only to fall to the floor in a pool of nude cloth.

                "Damn this! There has got to be an easier way than wrapping cloth around my stupid breasts every time I want to act normal!" Her slip had left her completely exposed from the waist up, and she shivered. Uranus climbed from the trunk and picked the cloth up to resume her work yet again. _I've been working on this for nearly half an hour already! Thia will be awake soon, and then I'll have no chance to explore!_ She stood, facing the full-length mirror next to the door. _Goodness, I'm a mess. You wouldn't think 15-year olds could be so damn leggy… or have such an extremely large bust either. I could easily pass for a boy without this… if I was more built in the torso. And this waist- must be the curse of the vegetarians to have such a flat stomach. No muscle at all! At least, not visibly…_

                The job was nearly finished. Carefully, Uranus tucked the end of the cloth into a catch she had made. At that same moment, her chamber door swung open and a grinning, blonde young man waltzed in.

                "'Morning, Pollux… oh dear."

Fin, Chapter One, Part One 

Questions? Comments? Rant? Send it all to thirteenth_sumeragi@msn.com. Thank you for taking the time to read it. Yes, Neptune is coming in very soon- I promise! I hope you enjoyed chapter one- there is much more to come. And good Dios, did that take a long time to get out- whoo! I just sat down tonight and forced my way through a boring spot. I actually like it a lot. Writing fics is especially difficult for me right now, it being the end of the quarter, Power of the Pen season, end of the swimming season, and having about 7 other pieces of writing to work on at the same time (O_o). Look forward to the meeting of Uranus and Neptune (duh?), the Royal Coronation (whoopdie doo we've been waiting for 8 pages…), and other good stuff in chapter two (um… author?)!

                                - Tenoh


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